Southwest Rapid Rewards Program

Today I will be talking about the Southwest Rapid Rewards program.

We flew out of Islip with Southwest for many years. Before I got the credit card I was able to get a free flight about once a year.

I linked my hotel programs(other than Starwood) to my Southwest account and I also linked the rental car programs to my Southwest account. So every time I had to stay in a hotel other than Starwood I wanted to make sure the stay was not lost so I linked it to my Southwest account.

A few years ago I found a site to get a free Southwest ticket the first time you used the card for any amount of money. www.southwest.com/flyfree was the link I used. So I had my husband and myself get the credit card. So we had 2 flights for $59 (the fee for the card)each. It was well worth it.

Here is how the Southwest card works: To get a Rapid Reward point you must spend $1200. You need 16 credits to get a free flight.
If you use your card to book any southwest trips and any of their partners you get double. A partner such as a hotel or rent a car.

Last year they had a great promotion, buy $500 worth of Southwest gift cards with your Southwest credit card and receive a free flight. So we each bought $500 worth of gift cards.
We just finished using up the gift cards for flights this year. So we had 2 more free flights.

I only use the card when a store does not take American express and of course when I use one of their partners.

This year the Rapid Rewards program has expanded to include the purchasing flowers on line through the Rapid Rewards site and the Dining rewards Network. So there are many other ways to get more points.

I have found booking with a free flight is hassle free and in most cases if booked early enough, Ihave never had a problem getting a free flight.

Once you get a free flight you also get coupons for free drinks on the plane which I share with my fellow passengers.

This year I have 3 free tickets with Southwest so far. The program works when used correctly.